


Faultline

by isolov



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Anyways..., AtLA AU, Earthbender Daichi, Firebender Kuroo, M/M, Misunderstandings, as always I'm horrible with tags, probender team kuroo daichi and suga hello???, waterbender sugawara
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:28:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24023602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isolov/pseuds/isolov
Summary: Daichi was a good sport and a damn good probender. He didn't have a problem working with others... except Kuroo Tetsurou, the pain-in-the-ass firebender that got on his nerves 24/7. But is he really that bad, or is it all in his head?
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi
Comments: 1
Kudos: 51





	Faultline

Earthbending by all accounts, was generally a pretty bland thing. Not that it didn’t have it’s exciting moments or awe inspiring techniques and skills, it certainly did, but you didn’t get a lot of attention by moving the earth around. Not in the same way firebending got attention, at least. It’s hard not to be amazed with firebending, what with all it’s flashiness and general raw power. Pro-bending was a nice way to even out the playing field.

That is, if Daichi didn’t kill his new teammate before they even got the chance to play together. There was a lot to dislike about Kuroo, and whoever said anything nice about him was a liar. “He’s not  _ that _ bad” Their other teammate and Daichi’s longtime friend, Sugawara, whispered to him one day after practice, only to receive a glare for saying such a scandalous thing. Yes, Kuroo was that bad. He was a troublemaker and manipulative, and had the appearance and demeanor of a cat lurking in a dark and dank alleyway waiting for a mouse to eat. Danger, danger, danger.

So needless to say, Daichi tried to avoid him whenever possible. He was polite and civil, he did like the sport and wanted to keep playing it professionally, but he kept whatever miniscule relationship they had to pure business. Kuroo made that difficult, given how he always sauntered over to him and flashed that god awful smirk at him.

“Sa’amura, why’re you always avoiding me? I don’t feel very welcomed to the team with you acting like this. Suga-chan’s been really sweet, you should try and be more like him.” Kuroo’s words are all sneer and sarcasm, but there was a layer of legitimate concern woven into them as well. That, or Daichi was imagining it. Either way, Daichi gives him a light shrug as he continues to walk towards the entrance.

“I don’t have anything I want to say to you, is all. We’re just teammates, I’m not looking for a new friend or anything.”

“Is it because I used to kick your ass back in the day?” That makes Daichi stop. His feet coming to rest as he gathers his breath to remain calm. Yeah, sure, Kuroo’s junior league team beat his pretty harshly on multiple occasions, and the jeers still lingered in the back of his mind, but he wasn’t petty enough to have that affect his current feelings about his teammate. He was a mature adult, not some whiny kid that was a poor sport. No, Daichi only tolerated Kuroo because he was a damn good firebender and even if he hated to admit, having him on their team gave them an incredible advantage.

“I can’t believe you would think I’m that petty, I’m not. Have a good day Kuroo-san.” Daichi says over his shoulder, and he turns his back on the taller man to walk out of the stadium. He doesn’t see the way Kuroo’s gaze lingers on his retreating form.

Needless to say, whatever small line of communication they had before was truly and properly severed after that. Well, they still spoke during practice, but even then their conversations were short and to the point. Daichi wasn’t sure how he could handle this for the rest of his career, but he would find a way. Suga had commented on the fact that both Daichi and Kuroo were behaving childishly about this whole thing, and what was the reason there was so much passive aggressive animosity anyways. Like what, Daichi had some preconceived judgement about Kuroo that may or may not be true, and he’s letting those notions and the past affect the present and the future? Laughable.

It stayed like that until their first match, and this truly would be the first time Daichi would see Kuroo’s improved skills from the same side. Kuroo had been a scarily good firebender even as a teenager, so Daichi imagined that his skill only improved. Daichi was loath to admit it, but he was glad he wasn’t on the receiving end of that anymore. In the short time he has watched Kuroo train, he noticed his style hadn’t changed that much. He wasn’t an aggressive bender that tormented the other team with an unyielding barrage of fire attacks, no, he was more calculating than that. He waited to see what his opponents would do, and attacked in quick and short bursts with frightening intensity. Kuroo was one of the people that made pro-bending rules the way they were, because if they could do traditional bending, his opponents wouldn’t stand a chance. Daichi had seen Kuroo’s traditional bending and was impressed by it, and even more impressed with the explosiveness and sheer control he had over the unruly element he had.

“Daydreaming again, Daichi? Get your head out of the clouds.” Suga snickers and slaps him on the shoulder before moving to put on his protective gear again. “You know for as much as you dislike Kuroo, you sure do think about him a lot.”

Daichi flushes red and sputters, because he did  _ Not _ like Kuroo like that, even if he was attractive on a whole other level.

… Huh.

Seeing the dumbstruck and total ‘oh shit’ look on Daichi’s face, Suga laughed as he put his face mask on. Suga continues laughing even after he puts his mask on, his breath fogging up the plastic screen. The muffled laughter only ends when Kuroo comes in to get dressed, and Suga leaves to not make a bigger fool of Daichi than he already has. Daichi doesn’t spare either of them a glance as he finishes up changing into his gear, though he’s ashamed to admit that the temptation to look at Kuroo as he changed was strong. He had too much on his mind to think about Kuroo’s long legs or lean but hard muscles. … More than he already was, apparently. Daichi did Not want to think about what this newfound revelation might be, especially right before a match.

Daichi’s only saving grace was the few minutes they were given to get to the stadium and into their positions. He was able to push his intrusive thoughts out of his head as he stretched, focusing in on connecting with the earth even if it was in the form of small discs. He doesn’t even notice Kuroo appearing in his position between him and Suga, and he misses the look the two shared. His mind was zeroed in on winning, any other complicated thoughts could wait. As the other team approached their spots and the announcer's voice rang out through the speakers, Daichi felt the familiar buzz of excitement rush through his veins.

The fight, as expected, is not easy. Their opponents give it their all, but so do they. Suga sets a few blasts at water at the opposing earth and firebenders, ultimately switching to deal with the firebender. Out of their numerous years of knowing each other, Daichi had always been proud of his friend and his skills. Surprise was one of Suga’s biggest strengths, taking advantage of people thinking he would be frail to deliver them shockingly powerful punches and kicks. The near endless barrage of attacks from the silver haired male sent the opposing firebender into the water below, resulting in their lead and also some gained territory.

Daichi sends a few more earth discs towards the other waterbender, applying a substantial amount of pressure to them. He was too focused on them to notice the other earthbender hurtle some earth discs at Suga, the man falling over shortly after with a yelp of pain. He blinks out of his focus with wide eyes, watching as Suga was escorted off the platform, one of his legs lifted up to avoid being used. The strong urge to avenge his friend made his heart race, and his barrage of attacks only increased once the fight started again.

A sharp pain hits his ribs, turning his attention to the other earthbender. In this moment of distraction the waterbender sent a few blasts of water at his head, making him stumble back and fall on his butt. Daichi grit his teeth, though a shadow loomed over him before he could stand up. His eyes widen yet again at the sight of Kuroo protecting him, and he’s totally unprepared for the smirk that Kuroo sends over his shoulder at him.

“What, a couple sprays of water is all it takes to knock you down? ‘S fine, I got them.”

It’s then Kuroo kicks into his serious mood, into the absolute monster of a fighter he saw earlier. The rapid fire punches and kicks catches the other team off guard, both of them stumbling back and granting them another area of territory. Daichi watches in awe as one last jump kick of fire blasts the eartbender into the water below, the raw energy and power making goosebumps rise along his skin. However, it's then that Daichi realizes that Kuroo’s now faced against the waterbender by himself and thus at the disadvantage.

His mind whirls to life once again, and Daichi rushes to his feet and summons a few discs to hurtle at the waterbender. Kuroo seems surprised by his sudden activity, and Daichi flashes him his own smirk.

“Don’t count me out yet, fireboy. Let’s end this quickly.”

Kuroo’s surprise morphs into understanding, and he gives Daichi an affirmative nod before going back to blasting their opponent with fireballs. Daichi was honestly surprised by how quickly their attacks synchronized, but he could hardly find it in himself to complain. When Kuroo’s attacks were blocked with streams of water, Daichi would take the opportunity to hit them with a few discs to lower their guard. This gave Kuroo the chance to unleash a quick succession of blasts at them, and they only had to do it a few times before their final opponent fell off the platform.

There was a beat of silence before Daichi and Kuroo both screamed in victory, their voices only slightly muffled by their masks. Before thinking about what he was doing, Daichi enclosed Kuroo in a tight hug, spinning him around a moment before setting him down with a large smile painted across his lips. He figures the redness in Kuroo’s face is from the exhaustion.

He visits Suga in the infirmary once he’s done changing into his street clothes, knocking on the door softly before entering. He winces when he sees the bandages around Suga’s foot, though the other was quick to wave off his worry.

“Don’t worry, I’m okay. The guy sort of broke my ankle with that disc, but it’s not as bad as it could’ve been. Just gotta stay off it for a few weeks and then I’ll be good as new!”

“That’s good. Still, I’m sorry for not paying attention to the other earthbender sooner.”

“Dai, I know you get tunnel vision, it’s really okay. Besides, you and Kuroo cleaned them up pretty nicely.”

The recall of recent memories makes a smile crack on his lips, and Daichi doesn’t hide the pride he has in his part of their victory. “Yeah, we did huh? I’m surprised Kuroo protected me though after the hard time I’ve been giving him.”

“Oh, so you finally realize it.” This time a smile with a hidden _ I told you so _ laced into it tugs Suga’s lips upward, and he leans back in the cot. “I keep telling you, he’s not a bad guy.”

“Yeah, I know that now. I’m a real idiot sometimes.”

“Yeah, yeah you are. Why are you telling me this though?”

Daichi gapes at him, but realization dawns on him a moment later. Nodding, he says goodbye to Suga before leaving. Fortunately, his search for Kuroo didn’t last too long, because he was actually leaning against the wall a feet away. Sighing quietly to himself, Daichi gathers his courage and walks over to the taller male. He realizes the folly in his ways before, and he just wouldn’t feel right to leave their relationship where it was with the newfound feelings he was aware of. So he doesn’t hesitate in unleashing it onto Kuroo once he’s in front of him, fearing he would bottle it up again if he didn’t.

“Hey, Kuroo. First off, thank you for covering me in that match, it really means a lot. I also… realize that I’ve been kind of a jerk to you, so I want to apologize for that too. I judged you before I got to know you, and that wasn’t fair. So, I hope we can maybe start fresh?”

Kuroo’s expression is unreadable, and Daichi fears that he said something wrong. It really couldn’t ruin anything since he did that already, but Daichi didn’t want to miss out on a chance to restart their relationship on the right foot. But a genuine smile breaks out on Kuroo’s face a moment later, and Daichi is once again unprepared for the “Sure, a date sounds like a good place to start.”

A blush seizes Daichi’s cheeks almost instantly, and his gaze drops to the floor shyly. It honestly took him by surprise, considering how much he’s shot down every interaction with him before now, but he couldn’t lie and say that he wasn’t interested in him either. It makes his heart skip a beat, actually, and he lifts his gaze to look at Kuroo again.

“You know? I’d like that a lot. How about we go now?”

**Author's Note:**

> so funny story, this was supposed to be a part of kurodaiweek but I got a lot of finals and stuff so I don't wanna burden myself with writing a ton of fics, and I already had this written, so I'll just post it separately. might update my chatfic bc I miss it but yeah, hope y'all enjoy <33!


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